Tensioner causing squeak?

[clemsonteg]

Is there a way to determine if the squeak I am experiencing is coming from my tensioner? I have a 5.3 with a kwik performance ac bracket and z28 tensioner as described in their instructions and I have a squeak that begins around 1500 rpm. I put a wrench on the tensioner and gently applied pressure and the squeak goes away. The tensioner only has a few thousand miles on it.

[Willie Makeit]

the LS1 tensioners are well known for this squeak. the only real remedy is to replace the tensioner pulley

[LeesTruk]

Couple of things to try;
spray some water on the belt at the described rpm's. If it's a belt noise, it'll go away briefly then come back
using a long probe of some kind (screw driver, dowel, even a length of hose, etc.) put one end on the tensioner, the other to your ear. A squealing bearing will become very evident. This can be applied to any belt driven device to check for noise

[BR3W CITY]

Pretty much every LS truck I've worked on has pulley squeak somewhere. I notice it most on cold start high idle. Once your truck is loud enough, you don't notice it anymore lol.

[clemsonteg]

Originally Posted by Willie Makeit

the LS1 tensioners are well known for this squeak. the only real remedy is to replace the tensioner pulley

Replace it with a stock replacement or larger for more belt contact and reduced chance of slip? The ac bracket came with a smooth pulley because of how the belt routes.

[clemsonteg]

Originally Posted by LeesTruk

Couple of things to try;
spray some water on the belt at the described rpm's. If it's a belt noise, it'll go away briefly then come back
using a long probe of some kind (screw driver, dowel, even a length of hose, etc.) put one end on the tensioner, the other to your ear. A squealing bearing will become very evident. This can be applied to any belt driven device to check for noise

I'll try the water trick. Since the noise goes away with added tension, will the water cause it to slip or grip?

[LeesTruk]

The water just acts as a lubricant, and it'll tell you if your belt is hard/brittle, or dry. It just separates a "belt" noise from a mechanical one

[clemsonteg]

Originally Posted by LeesTruk

The water just acts as a lubricant, and it'll tell you if your belt is hard/brittle, or dry. It just separates a "belt" noise from a mechanical one

Water definitely makes the noise go away and so does adding tension.

[Willie Makeit]

Originally Posted by clemsonteg

Replace it with a stock replacement or larger for more belt contact and reduced chance of slip? The ac bracket came with a smooth pulley because of how the belt routes.

not sure it matters as the squeak is in the bearings, not the belt - that's been my experience

I have gone as far as taking the dust covers off the bearings, cleaning and repacking with fresh grease, only to have the squeak come back within a month or so.

[clemsonteg]

I swapped to another belt I had and shimmed one pulley. It's gone for now, but I think last time I messed with it I had a few weeks of silence before it returned. I took a photo of the tensioner, which marks am I supposed to be watching?

[jweb]

I had the same problem, I switched to a Goodyear Gatorback belt and the noise hasn’t come back.

[87chevy.com]

If the dive isn't aligned, it will squeak.. and in the picture, the mark it's on means the tension is just right. Now the belt looks like it's riding on the tensioner pulley edge. If you can center the belt on that tensioner you might get rid of the squeak if that's the source.. have you called the manufacturer? If not, you should so you get a direct answer on your problem.
Clint